Thread: Being on the dividing line of awake and asleep

Originally Posted by Sanitas

Does this ever happen to anybody? It happened to me the other day after I made a point to stay up until as late (or early) as possible to finish a book I was reading. When I finally got to sleep I was tired, but somehow my mind wouldn't let me rest. I stayed on the dividing line of being asleep and awake for hours - where I'd have a half dreams and also conscious thoughts dissecting the dreams in half - these aren't lucid dreams. Does any body else ever have this syndrome?

Hi Sanitas,

I think what you're describing is hypnagogic dreams or visions. That is the word used to describe short dreams that occur as we're falling asleep, but are still half awake. We're "betwixt and between" as the saying goes. We also can have similar ones as waking, called hypnapompic dreams. It's as if being fully awake is day, and fully asleep is night. Hypnagogic/pompic dreams occur at twilight, at dusk and at dawn, the transitional stages.

I remember when I could stay up all night reading... wow. Nowadays, I'm early to bed and early to rise... still waiting for healthy, wealthy and wise... well, getting there a little bit.

Ugh. That sounds familiar. I used to have nights like that back in school, when I would stay up for days doing studio work. It is like your thoughts keep racing, even after you fall asleep.

It could be a REM rebound situation, where you launched directly into dreams without ever giving your thoughts a chance to switch off.

It could be a REM rebound situation, where you launched directly into dreams without ever giving your thoughts a chance to switch off.

Usually that comes with sleep paralysis for me. When I get off my sleep schedule I go right into REM on the onset of sleep in which my mind locks the muscles of my body and I freak out.

Originally Posted by Sanitas

Usually that comes with sleep paralysis for me. When I get off my sleep schedule I go right into REM on the onset of sleep in which my mind locks the muscles of my body and I freak out.

I hate this feeling more than anything. Usually when I stay up wicked wicked late and try to sleep ill slip in and out of dreaming and get heart palpitation really bad.

Staying up late isn't good at all man and can also increase the risk of diabetes seeing as our body's break down glucose when we sleep.

Sleeping to much is bad too.

But I remember when I was younger I would wake up and still be a little asleep and I enjoyed it.